Roommates
by Gwenwhyvar
Summary: When Kagome witnesses the murder of her parents and grandfather, she is forced to pretend to be a boy at a boarding school in order to prevent the murderer from coming after her and Souta next! Guess who she gets as a roommate?
1. The New School

**Hello everyone and welcome to my new story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.**

XxX 

Chapter One: The New School

Kagome walked happily down the driveway to her house. It was a beautiful fall day, and the leaves crunched under her feet as she skipped up the steps to her house. Kagome shifted her backpack around on her shoulders, as she bent down, picked up the key from under the welcome mat, and unlocked the door, with a faint click. She opened the door slowly and stepped into her dark house.

The first thing that registered in Kagome's mind was red. There was so much red. It was flung out over the whole entranceway, and spattered the walls. Kagome's breath started coming in short gasps as she stared at the scene in front of her. Both of her parents were lying on the floor, Her mother's glazed eyes staring at the ceiling, and not blinking. Her mother was shot through the forehead, right between the eyes, and she had a terrified expression on her face. Her father had been shot through the back, as if he were trying run away, and was lying face down on the rug, a pool of blood seeping into the pattern. Kagome opened her mouth to scream, but she clapped a hand over her mouth when she heard something clank in the next room: the kitchen. Someone was still here. Kagome moved towards the door opposite the one to the kitchen, hoping to get as far away from the person in the house as possible, but stopped short in the doorway. Her grandfather was lying inside the next room in another puddle of blood. He held the newspaper in one hand, and had a surprised expression on his face, frozen forever. Kagome stumbled backwards and slipped out her cell phone from her back pocket with trembling fingers, quickly dialing 9-1-1. She could hear shuffling now in the kitchen moving towards the living room. Suddenly someone picked up on the line.

"You have dialed 9-1-1. What is your emergency?" For a second, Kagome's throat closed up and she couldn't speak. She stood frozen, and tried to force air past her mouth, but failed. T-hen she heard another noise from the living room, and her voice rushed out at once in a harsh whisper.

"It's my parents and my grandfather. I just found them, and they are…they were shot. I think they're dead!" Kagome chocked back a sob and continued, "I think the murderer is still in the house. Please hurry!" Kagome glanced around frantically. She didn't hear any more movement. The woman on the line spoke again.

"Stay calm now. A dispatch is on their way to your house. Try to find a place to hide, and stay there until the police can reach you." Kagome snapped the phone shut and moved quietly over to the coat closet by the door. She turned the knob slowly and crawled inside, and pulled the door closed after her, leaving a crack that she could peer out of. She became aware of sirens in the distance, coming closer to the house.

Hurried footsteps made their way from the living room into the kitchen, and then towards the entryway. Kagome nearly stopped breathing as a man loomed in the doorway to the kitchen. He had greasy black hair, and a predatory face. He was spattered lightly with blood, and held a gun by his side. The man glanced around for a second, and then made his way towards the door. He was almost out, when Kagome gave a small squeak, not being able to hold in her terror any more.

The man paused mid-stride, and turned slowly to face the closet. He looked strait through the crack at Kagome, and his hand that held the gun twitched soundlessly. Kagome stared back at the man; unable to tear her gaze away as he slowly brought the gun up, and a cold grin slowly played over his face, as his lips formed the words, "Kagome…Kagome!" Kagome looked at the man, confused, how did he know her name?

"KAGOME!"

Kagome shot up in her bed, shivering and completely drenched in sweat. A policewoman stood in the door of the hotel she was staying in, looking at Kagome with a concerned expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Kagome sighed and sank back onto her pillow.

"Yeah, I'm okay. What do you need, Keade?"

"Hey! That's Officer Keade to you," barked the older policewoman jokingly as she entered the room. "Come on, today's a big day and we've got to get started early. You're going to a new school today, remember?" Kagome blinked and leaped out of bed.

"That's right! Just let me get ready. We need to get the uniform today, don't we?"

"Yup. I'll go get your brother." Keade left as Kagome busied herself with getting ready. When the door shut, Kagome paused for a second as she remembered her dream. It had been a month since her parents had been murdered, but she still had nightmares almost every night. Of course, when it had really happened, the man hadn't called out her name. Instead, he had heard the police coming down the road, and that had been enough to scare him off. He had bolted towards the back door, and the police just weren't fast enough. Kagome shuddered as she remembered his cold eyes and that slightly crazy grin that had crept onto his face when he raised his gun.

The police had identified it as a random murder, and they said that the guy was insane. Kagome believed them. She had seen the man once since the murder, when she was at school. He had been watching her through the fence that separated the school grounds from the road. Kagome had called the police immediately, but once again the man had been too quick. After the police realized that the man was coming after Kagome, they had decided to move her to a new town, and give her a new identity, until they caught the murderer. Today was to be Kagome's first day at her new school.

Kagome shook her head to try and clear out the memory of the nightmare. Today was a new start. She was no longer Kagome Higurashi, but a whole different person…to bad Kagome didn't know just how different.

XxX 

"Here, Kagome. Try this on. It's the uniform for the school you will be going to."

"Okay," Kagome replied happily. It was nice to be doing something normal for a change. For a long time, all she had done day in and day out was look at mug shots, trying to identify her parent's murderer. Kagome looked at the uniform in her hands just as she was about to enter the bathroom in her hotel room to change.

"Oh! Keade, I think you made a mistake. You must have given Souta's uniform to me, so…" Kagome turned around to find Keade trying to sneak out the door with a guilty expression on her face.

"KEADE…" Keade turned around and gave a nervous laugh.

"Well, heh…they thought it might be better to tell you later, so that you don't have a chance to back out…but you see Kagome…you really need to go undercover. WAY undercover. The guy who murdered your relatives is very dangerous, and so we figured the best way to keep you safe is…"

"No way! No way am I going to pretend to be a guy! Why can't I just get my hair dyed or something and stay a girl? I want to have a normal high school experience! I don't want to have to do this!" Kagome ranted. Keade came back into the room and took Kagome by the shoulders.

"Kagome, this isn't just for you. Think of your brother as well. So far the man hasn't figured out that Souta is your brother, but you could be putting him more and more at risk. This is also the best thing for you, and it's only until we catch this guy." Kagome winced, but nodded.

"All right. I'll do this…for Souta."

"Thanks Kagome! Now hurry up and try that on, so that we can go get your hair cut!"

"WHAT!?! I have to get my HAIR CUT?"

XxX 

Kagome stood staring up at the school building in front of her, as students poured by on either side. Her short hair blew around her face, and she couldn't get over how weird the uniform felt. She watched enviously as other girls walked by in their skirts and tossed their long hair over their shoulders. Shaking her head, Kagome turned to Souta.

"Alright now kiddo, you have to remember. What is my name again?"

"Kageki!" Souta answered promptly, then laughed out loud. "Seriously though, couldn't you have picked a cooler name?" Kagome sighed.

"This was the one assigned to me, and at least it sounds a little like my old name." Souta just grinned and glanced at the school.

"I think it's time to go Kag…um…Kageki! See you around big brother!" Souta gave her a big wink, then strolled off towards the school. Kagome rolled her eyes. This disguise wouldn't last for long if Souta kept being so obvious about it. Kagome straitened her tie nervously, glanced around at the other boys walking past her, and rumpled the tie up again. Kagome ran her hand through her hair. She had no idea how to be a guy! This was going to be harder than she thought…

XxX 

Kagome had made it through her first classes all right. She had caused a minor stir among the class at coming into the school so late in the year, but she had been able to understand the material, because it had been about where her last classes had left off. The bell had just rung, and the class began to file out to go to the cafeteria for lunch. Suddenly Kagome felt a hand tug on her arm. She turned around to find a girl behind her.

"Hi! It's Kageki, right?" Kagome nodded. The girl had long black hair tied up into a high ponytail, and Kagome liked her instinctively. "My name is Sango. I thought, since you probably don't know you're way around, that you could come eat with me at lunch, and meet my friends." Kagome smiled widely. She had been worried about where she would sit for lunch, and now this girl was inviting her to sit at her table!

"That would be great!" said Kagome, and followed Sango into the cafeteria. Sango walked confidently through the tables.

"Hey Sango, how 'bout a date?"

"Yeah, you wish, Miroku!"

"Aw Sango, who's the lucky guy?"

"Just the new kid, Kouga." Sango dealt easily with the various catcalls that were thrown her way. She knew that she was pretty, but she didn't flaunt it like most girls, and didn't take the boy's teasing as an insult. Kagome found herself glad that she might get the chance to be friends with this girl. Sango neared the table from where most of the flirting had been coming from, and sat down. She introduced Kagome quickly to the group.

"Kageki, this is Miroku, Kouga, Rin, Sesshoumaru, Ayame, and down there are some other girls from our class." Everyone greeted Kagome warmly, and the group of girls at the end started whispering furiously. One of them called out to Sango.

"Hey, good job Sango! You picked out a good one." Kagome blushed and glanced at the girl who had called out. The girl winked at Kagome, who almost died of embarrassment.

"Aw hey, give the new guy a break," said Kouga, who then sent a killer grin down the table, which caused a smattering of high-pitched giggling to erupt. "And Kageki, leave some for the rest of us, eh?" Kagome laughed along with them and sat down next to Sango.

"I'll try," Kagome shot back, playing along, "but it doesn't look like there's much competition." The girls at the table burst out laughing, and the rest of the guys chuckled as well.

"Nice one, shorty!" said the guy called Miroku. And Kagome already felt more at ease. She had already earned a nickname. Soon the group was talking and laughing together, and Kagome laughed and talked right back. She felt wonderful, to be able to just enjoy such normal things, like spending time with your friends.

XxX 

"See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

"See ya."

"Bye Kageki!"

Kagome whistled as she walked down the hallway away from her new group of friends. So far, the day had gone great. Kagome hadn't felt awkward or out of place at all. In fact, even though she was pretending to be a guy, Kagome had seemed to fit right in. She had just stopped to get the key to her new dorm room, and find out the room number of the dorm she would be staying in. The dorm was co-ed, and most of her new friends were in the same dorm. Sango was right next door, along with Rin, and Miroku and Kouga shared a room farther down the hall.

_It's too bad I don't share a room with one of them_, thought Kagome wistfully. They were both really fun, and Kagome didn't feel awkward around them at all. Of course, she mused, it didn't hurt that both of them were totally hot, although she thought that Sango and Miroku might have something going.

_Oh well, I can't have everything I guess. I'm sure that my new roommate will be totally fine as well. I've been having such good luck today…what can go wrong?_ Kagome put the key into the lock, and flung open the door.

"Hi, I'm your new roo-" Kagome stopped talking as she saw her new roommate. He had long black hair cascading to his waist, and the most beautiful dark purple eyes that Kagome had ever seen. Kagome gulped as she also noticed he was shirtless.

"Ah! I'm sorr-"

"Hey! Kid!" Kagome turned around when she realized that she was supposed to acting like a guy, and that she shouldn't be embarrassed to see a guy without a shirt.

"Um…yeah?"

"Let's get some thing strait. You must me Kageki, my new roommate, right?" Kagome stepped into the room and nodded.

"I'm InuYasha, and I've had this room all to myself until _you_ showed up. So, here are the rules. Don't touch any of my stuff, don't talk to me unless I'm talking to you, you don't get to play any music unless it's rock or alternative…"

"But what if it's-"  
"I wasn't done yet. If I want to go to bed, the lights go off. If I want to stay up late, the lights stay on. You can clean up the room if you want, but don't move my stuff around." Kagome narrowed her eyes. This guy was really getting on her nerves. Who did he think he was, ordering her around like this? He was the same age as her! The boy kept on talking.

"When you go to wash your clothes, you take mine too, and if-"

"HEY! Who says you get to tell me what to do?" Kagome stood in the doorway, glowering down at the boy "This is my room too! You can't just tell me what to do because I came in the middle of the year!" InuYasha glared at Kagome.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" InuYasha stood up and slowly walked over to Kagome. She gulped but stared back at him just as fiercely.

"If you don't play nice, little boy, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Kagome widened her eyes. Had he just called her _little boy_? Oh man, he was going to get it now.

"AAAAARGH!" Kagome launched herself at InuYasha and knocked him to the floor. He rolled out from under her and began to stand up, but Kagome latched onto his legs and InuYasha went tumbling to the ground again.

"Get off me, you little pest!" InuYasha flipped his legs around and managed to get them from Kagome's grip. Then he turned and pulled Kagome up, and pressed her against a wall. She struggled, but was pinned effectively.

"That…" InuYasha was panting, but smirked triumphantly, "That was not playing nice." With that, the boy shoved Kagome into the hallway and slammed the door close with a resounding thud. Kagome sat stunned in the hallway. That…that jerk! Kagome rolled up her sleeves and reached for the doorknob, only to find it firmly locked. She reached into her pocket for the keys…

"Aw, crap!" Kagome muttered, turning out her pockets only to find them all empty. She must have dropped the key somewhere in the dorm room.

"Hey! You jerk, let me in!" Kagome pounded on the door.

"Yeah right!" Kagome heard InuYasha turn on some music inside the dorm room.

"Hey! Crap-for-brains! Open the damn door!" Kagome screamed at the closed door, sounding more like a boy the angrier she got.

"Aw, stuff it!" Called InuYasha, and turned the volume up louder.

Kagome sighed and sat down with her back to the door. It was going to be a long night…

XxX 

**So there is my first chapter, and I know I should be finishing the ending to "Why Me?" but it just keeps turning out too cliché! It's horrible! No matter what I do, the ending is turning out sappy. So, while I am waiting for inspiration to strike, I have decided to start this new story. Hope you all like it, and the new chapter to "Why Me?" as well as the update for this one should be coming up soon, hopefully by the end of the week.**


	2. Confusion

Hey everybody! I just had a snow day this week, and it was amazing. Oh, It might start getting kind of confusing with "he's" and "she's", because from Kagome's point of view she's a girl, but everyone else thinks she's a guy. You just have to remember that NO ONE knows that Kagome is a girl right now, except for Souta! So whenever the words "Kagome" or "she" are used, that is the NARRATOR (me!) talking, not InuYasha or anyone else, so InuYasha does NOT know that Kagome is a girl at this point. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: Do I own InuYasha?!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahHAhahahahaha…Hahahahaha…HA! HA! Haha…ha…ha…ha…yeah, no…**

**XxX**

Chapter 2: Confusion

InuYasha cocked his head as he turned off his music with a soft click. He listened quietly for a second before padding over towards the door. The kid had finally stopped trying to break down the door, it seemed, since InuYasha couldn't hear anything going on. Maybe someone had come by and taken that damn kid to their room. Well, great! Good riddance.

InuYasha listened at the door for another minute, heard nothing, and opened the door…almost stumbling over Kagome's sleeping form. Kagome was curled up on the hard floor with her school jacket for a pillow. InuYasha looked down in shock. _This kid had stayed here the whole time, and hadn't gone off crying for help?_

_Maybe he has more balls than I gave him credit for…_ InuYasha mused. (A/N Haha, yeah…) InuYasha was just about to kick the kid to wake him up, when she gave a frightened squeak. InuYasha pulled his foot back hastily. He hadn't done anything…yet… Then she turned over, and InuYasha saw she was still asleep. Kagome squirmed and cried out in her sleep again. _It looked like the kid's having a nightmare_. InuYasha would have burst out laughing, if he hadn't seen a look of pure horror cross onto Kagome's tortured face. InuYasha bent down, glanced both directions down the hall, then gently shook Kagome by the shoulders.

"Kageki…come on…wake up!" InuYasha whispered into Kagome's ear, but instead of the desired outcome, Kagome latched onto InuYasha's waist and buried her head in InuYasha's chest.

"Wha-" InuYasha growled and tried to pry the kid off, but she was stuck tight. InuYasha glanced around. _If anyone were to come out right now… _Grumbling, InuYasha lifted the kid into his arms, and swiftly carried her into the room, kicking the door closed as he walked in. He set Kagome down on the bed and immediately she let go, grabbing onto her pillow instead and murmuring something in her sleep contentedly. InuYasha stared down at the new kid for a second. That expression of terror that had been plastered onto the kid's face flashed into InuYasha's mind. What could make a kid have a nightmare like that?

Then suddenly, of their own accord, InuYasha's hands snaked out and tucked the blanket over Kagome's sleeping body. InuYasha stifled a yelp. What the hell had made him do that? _This damn kid…he's too confusing_. InuYasha flicked off the lights, fell into his bed, and began to snore.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!

Kagome shot awake to the noise of an alarm clock blaring in her ear. For a second she was disoriented. This wasn't or home, or the hotel room she had become accustomed to staying in. Then she remembered that she was going to a boarding school now, which only made Kagome more confused. Why wasn't she still out in the hallway?

Kagome heard some muffled cursing and an arm reached out from under the covers of InuYasha's bed and silenced the alarm clock. The arm slid back under the blanket, and Kagome watched in mild amusement as snoring began to come from the bed once again.

"Just out of curiosity, shouldn't you be getting up?" InuYasha flung back the covers at the sound of Kagome's voice and looked around, then slumped back into bed when he saw Kageki.

"Oh yeah…you're here." He got out of bed and began rummaging through the closet by his bed. Kagome looked around and saw that she had an identical closet by her bed.

"So," said Kagome conversationally as she poked her head into the closet. It was full of school uniforms as well as a few bars of soap and some complimentary shampoo. "Do you know how I got in here last night? I think I fell asleep in the hallway."

The rustling sounds from InuYasha's side of the room abruptly stopped.

"What makes you think I would know that?" Inuyasha declared loudly, sticking his head further into his closet to cover up his blush. "I unlocked the door later at night. Maybe you sleep walk." InuYasha paused, and looked over at Kagome carefully. "Did you…did you sleep okay last night?" Kagome froze up. She had had another one of her nightmares last night. In fact, it was worse than it normally was, and much more vivid. There was probably a chance that she did sleep walk. However, it did differ from some of the other nightmares she had. The nightmare never finished. Somewhere during the middle, it just broke off, and Kagome had drifted off into dreamless bliss.

"I…I slept fine!" stammered Kagome, turning back to her closet, and pulling out a uniform. She glanced around and noticed InuYasha beginning to take of his clothes to change. Blushing, Kagome grabbed her uniform and dove for the bathroom. InuYasha blinked and turned at the sound of the door slamming.

_What a strange kid…_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Kageki…Kageki!" Kagome snapped her head up at the sound of Sango's voice. She had been thinking about her nightmare last night, and hadn't remembered to respond to her pseudo name.

"Oh…Yeah, Sango?" Sango laughed.

"I've been trying to get through to you for about five minutes now! We were just talking about sports. What sports do you participate in?" They were all sitting at a table in the cafeteria, during lunch. Even InuYasha was here today. Kagome blanched. At her old school, she had loved to play volleyball, but of course she couldn't say that now.

"Um…I've never really been into sports." That much was true. Although Kagome had played volleyball, she hadn't been very good at it. She had always darted around the whole half court, and tried to get all the passes. She had trouble just staying still. "But, um…I've been thinking about trying out for…" Kagome's mind raced frantically. What was a sport that guys always played? "…football!"

The table fell silent for a second, then everyone burst out laughing at once.

"You…you want to try out for football?" Miroku gasped. Kagome started to blush. What was so funny about that? Now that she had started to think about it, she had always wanted to try football, but only the boys were allowed. Now was her chance.

"Um…no offense Kageki," Sango said, "but your not exactly the football type."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah? Then what's the football type?"

"Well," Sango paused, and grinned. "May I present to you InuYasha, Miroku, and Kouga!" All three of the men instantly struck a pose and Kagome laughed out loud. Sango continued, "These three are the stars of our football team. They are tall, muscular, and weigh a whole lot more than you do. You, Kageki, are short, skinny, and probably weigh as much as a twig." Kagome bristled. Just because she was smaller doesn't mean she didn't have a chance! She'd show them that a girl can play football!

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**Well, it's not exactly long, like I was hoping for, but I wanted to get a new chapter up as soon as possible, and I _have_** **been working on it all week, but I just couldn't get it right. Hope you like it anyway!**


	3. The Phone Call

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Let's see. I've just about completed the theory on how to make pigs fly, and the hell freezing over project is coming along nicely. Next up is to own InuYasha.**

**XxX**

Chapter 3: The Phone Call

What woke Kagome the next morning was not the alarm clock, but the shrill sound of the telephone cutting through another one of her nightmares. She bolted upright, gasping for breath as she shook off the lingering shreds of the dream. Kagome rubbed her eyes tiredly and reached for the phone, while InuYasha yawned tiredly from the next bed.

"Yeah?" Kagome mumbled. It was too early to be fully awake.

"Kagome, is that you?" Kagome's eyes snapped wide open. The phone call was for her!

"Uh, yeah…one second." Kagome hopped off the bed and took the phone into the bathroom, ignoring InuYasha's suspicious stare. (A/N The phone is cordless)

"Who is this? We can talk now."

"This is Keade. Are you settling in fine?"

"Yeah, but just so you know Keade, you shouldn't use my real name on the phone unless you are sure it was me. If my roommate InuYasha had picked up the phone that could have been trouble."

"Oh…oops." Kagome giggled. Sometimes Keade didn't act like a police officer.

"So, what are you calling for?" Kagome asked, feeling excited all of a sudden. Maybe they had caught the killer! Then she could go back home.

"Well, I have some good news and bad news." Kagome frowned. She always hated when people said that.

"Ok, spill. I guess I'll have to hear it sooner or later, right?"

"Well, we finally got a DNA match to some hairs that we found at the crime scene." Keade said. Kagome gasped. That was great news!

"You know who the killer is? But that's great! Now you will be able to catch him easier, and the sooner you catch him, the sooner my life might go back to normal." Kagome said happily. _And the sooner I might stop having these nightmares! _She added to herself.

"Kagome, you forgot that there's bad news too."

"Oh yeah…do I have to hear that too?"

"Yes." Keade's voice came out hard and firm. Kagome felt her spirits sinking. "Kagome, the man who murdered you family is called Naraku." Suddenly Kagome's brain kicked into overdrive. Where had she heard that name? Sometime last year… Then it hit Kagome in a flash.

"He's that serial killer…"

"Yes. He's been killing people for a couple of years now, but we have never been able to get our hands on him."

Kagome gulped. "Why…why was he after my family? What did we do?"

Keade hesitated, and when she spoke her voice came out soft. "He…he always targets young teenage girls. All his victims had long black hair and had similar body types to yours. In fact, his victim just last year, Kikyo, could have you're your double. Kagome…Naraku was after you the whole time." Kagome's knees buckled and she fell to the floor in shock. Her whole family…they had suffered…they had _died_ because of her. She was the one he had wanted. Kagome's breath started coming in shorter and shorter gasps.

"Kagome. Kagome!" Keade said, her voice tinny and small on the other side of the line. "You have to calm down Kagome. Take some deep breaths." Kagome slowly calmed down, and came to her senses.

"Keade, he still wants me, right? He's not going to stop stalking me, is he? Tell me the truth." Keade was silent for a long time, then finally spoke.

"No, Kagome."

Kagome shivered. "What…what does he do to his victims when he finds them?" Again, Keade was silent for a long time.

"He…he rapes them, then kills them. Kagome, I'm so sorry. But as long as you keep your cover, you should be fine. Please, don't do anything drastic. We'll protect you." Kagome felt tears running down her face, and she _was_ scared. Well, terrified was a better word for it, but she knew that Keade was right. She couldn't run. Her best option was to stay here, and try to wait Naraku out.

"Don't worry Keade. I'm not going to do anything stupid. I have Souta to think about."

"Good." On the other line, Keade breathed a sigh of relief. "All right Kagome, I have to go. Take care of yourself, you hear?"

" 'Kay. Bye." Kagome turned off the phone, and sat in the bathroom for a few minutes, digesting this new information. Her family's murder…it hadn't been random. Now she understood why Naraku hadn't just killed her when he had seen her in the closet, and why he had run off when he heard the police coming. He still wanted to kill her, but he wanted to play with her first, and with the police coming down the street, he wouldn't have had enough time for that.

Kagome realized something else as well. Naraku, this serial killer, he must have been watching her for a long time, before singling her out as his next victim. Kagome shivered. He must have watched her for months before that day, and she had known nothing. And now, it was too late. It was too late to save her family. All that she could do now was protect Souta with all her heart.

Kagome sat up and wiped the tears from her face. She checked the mirror to make sure that her eyes weren't red from crying, and marched from the bathroom to her bed. She had to be strong, for Souta.

InuYasha lay on his bed watching Kagome. "Who was that on the phone?"

"No one." Kagome just wasn't feeling up to arguing with InuYasha right now. She needed some time alone, just to think.

"Oh, no one? So why did you go into the bathroom to talk to no one?" Kagome ground her teeth.

"Look, it was no one important."

"Sure seemed like an important call. What, was it from a girl back home?" InuYasha sneered at Kagome. Kagome was about to shoot back a reply, but processed what InuYasha had said, and seized the chance.

"Yeah! It was from a girl back home. My girlfriend." Kagome almost gagged, but it _would _be a good cover up for whenever she got a call from the police, and right now, she just wanted to end this conversation.

InuYasha's eyes widened. _Kageki…Kageki has a girlfriend?!_ Then InuYasha paused. Why was that so hard to believe?

"O-oh. Keh!" InuYasha flipped over to face the wall. Kagome looked at him, confused. What was his problem? She gave a small shrug and flopped into her own bed, falling asleep immediately.

XxX 

**That's all for now folks. Another short chapter, but again, I wanted to get it out to you as soon as possible. The next chapter won't be so angsty, so keep on reading, and review!**


	4. Girls Can Play Football

All right. Someone asked if this was a Kageki/InuYasha fic or a Kagome/InuYasha fic. Just to let you all know, KAGOME AND KAGEKI ARE THE SAME PERSON!!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT! If you do not know that, the whole story will not make sense!!! And I'm really really sorry if it was confusing like that, but I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. Sorry if anyone is confused! Also, someone asked how people can't tell that she's a girl, since most guys don't have breasts, haha. Well, to answer your question, Kagome binds her breasts, like in Mulan. She just takes a long strip of fabric and wraps it around her upper half tightly. Sorry I forgot to mention that. All right, that's all for now!

**XxX**

Chapter 4: Girls Can Play Football

Somehow Kagome made it through all of her classes, although she hadn't really paid attention. All day her thoughts were drawn back to Naraku, the man who had murdered her family. Why would somebody do that? How could anyone be that evil? Kagome couldn't even imagine the pain and suffering that Kikyo, and the victims before her must have gone through.

"Hey Kageki!" a voice rang out, startling Kagome from her thoughts. Kagome snapped her head up and realized that the whole classroom was empty except for her and Sango. Kagome stumbled out of her seat and began gathering up her books.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I just drifted off there," Kagome mumbled.

Sango laughed. "Don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us. I just wanted to make sure that you made it to the football tryouts. They're happening today right? And you said you were interested, so…" Kagome gasped. She had forgotten all about the football tryouts.

"Thanks Sango!" said Kagome, as she rushed out into the hallway and towards the football field.

XxX 

Kagome nervously changed into a spare football uniform that they had given her. She had worn boxers and an undershirt underneath her clothes, so that she looked no different from any of the other guys, especially since she had bound her breasts. Kagome pulled on the uniform nervously.

"Hey Chibi! Glad you could make it!" (A/N For those who don't know, chibi is the equivalent of 'shorty' in Japanese.) Kagome looked up to find Kouga grinning at her. "Just don't get beat up too bad, eh?" Kagome was just about to shout an insult back, when another voice broke through.

"Hey, Kouga!" Kagome looked up in surprise to find InuYasha speaking. "Don't laugh at him yet, when you haven't even seen him play." Kagome blinked then gave him a grateful smile, but InuYasha had already turned his back and had begun heading out towards the field. Kagome trotted after him out of the locker room.

"Hey InuYasha! Thanks for sticking up for me back there."

"Keh." InuYasha just kept walking, and Kagome fell into step easily beside him. "So how good are you at football?" Kagome shuffled her feet a bit, and looked at the ground.

"Well…I've never really tried before, so…"

"WHA-" InuYasha stopped and turned to face Kagome. "You've never played before? And I just defended you in there? Man, I'm never going to hear the end of this…"

"Hey!" Kagome broke in, "Just because I've never played before doesn't mean I can't be good. I mean, it can't be that hard, right?" Kagome's weak grinned wilted off her face as InuYasha looked at her, his face incredulous. Then he spun on his heel and continued towards the field, mumbling about football and crazy kids. Kagome gulped.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I mean, who am I kidding? I've never held a football in my hands before in my life! I should just leave now…_ Kagome was just turning around to go when she saw Kouga walking towards the field. Kouga smirked when he saw her.

"You getting scared and running away, Chibi? Too bad, I was looking forward to making you eat dirt." Kagome glared at him.

"What…did…you…say?"

Kouga smirked. "I suppose now I don't have to go through the trouble of cleaning you off the field when we're done." Kagome narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, you're on now, pretty boy."

XxX 

The coach, Myoga, split the group into two teams. Kagome ended up on Miroku's team, while Kouga and InuYasha were on the other. Kagome was starting to get nervous again. Her family had been a huge football fan, so Kagome had watched it all the time. She had grown up learning all the different plays, and since Souta was a boy, she had watched him practice all the time. Somehow, though, Kagome knew that playing the sport would be somewhat different from watching it. She'd just have to do her best, and hope it would turn out okay.

Kagome's team lined up down the field, waiting for the kickoff. The air was tense, and Kagome felt butterflies raging in her stomach. Then it began. InuYasha punted the ball from the other side of the field. Kagome heard the smack of his foot against the ball, and then it was airborne, spiraling through the air. For a split second, everything was silent, everyone's eyes following the dot of reddish brown against blue. Then Kagome's team burst forth like a dam had been broken. Kagome had planned to lag behind, just to get an idea of how it worked, but when she saw Kouga streaking down the field from the other side, Kagome kicked it into high gear. She darted ahead of the pack and reached the ball a split second ahead of Kouga, catching the ball neatly out of the air, and firing it off just as quickly to Miroku. It was just in time, too. As soon as the ball left Kagome's hands, she found herself on the ground, tackled sooner than she could blink. Instantly, the wind was knocked out of her, and Kagome knew that she'd be bruised on the ribs tomorrow. She now had mud and grass all over her new uniform, and already she was feeling sore.

Kagome jumped up happily, gasping for breath as she watched Miroku streak past yard after yard until he was finally tackled by InuYasha. "Let's do that again!"

Kouga picked himself up, disgruntled. "That was just beginner's luck, Chibi! You just wait. You're going down!"

Kagome grinned cheekily at Kouga. Now that she was more confident, she was going to show him what she could do! "Bring it on, wolf boy!"

XxX 

Forty-five minutes later, Kagome's team had won by a touchdown. It had been a close game because really, Kouga and InuYasha's team _was_ very good, and the players really like to play football. But once Miroku had registered just how fast Kagome was, and how easily she could dodge, he took advantage of it. Basically, Kagome got as far down the field as she could and wait for the ball. Then some of the more muscular guys would protect her from behind.

Myoga called everyone in and read off the names of all those who would be playing on the team this year. Miroku, Kouga, InuYasha, and Kagome had all made it onto the team. Kagome grinned happily, and high-fived all the guys as they walked into the locker room. She had always loved football, but she had never thought that she'd be playing it. Somehow, out there on the field, all her worries melted away, and the ball felt like it belonged in her hands. When she sprinted into score a touchdown, it felt like home, and that wasn't something she had felt in a long time.

_Football,_ Kagome decided, _Is something that I will miss when I go back to being a girl._ Kagome was still laughing and teasing Kouga, when the guys began to undress. Suddenly all the color drained from Kagome's face.

"Hey Kageki, come one! Aren't you going to shower?"

Kagome started backing out of the locker room. "Um…you know what. I…forgot something I had to do! I have to go! I'll shower in a bit!" Kagome sprinted out the door and into the hallway outside. She took a deep breath. Sometimes being a guy was really hard.

Kagome wandered up towards her dorm room. She could take a shower in her room, and get all the sweat and dirt off. Since InuYasha wasn't there, she could even take a nice long one! Kagome sighed happily and began to unwind the long strip of fabric underneath her shirt as she walked up the stairs to her floor. It felt so good to finally get that off! Kagome gave a stretch, then turned the corner…only to run right into Sango. Kagome stumbled backwards, and Sango fell on top of her. Sango began to apologize, but her voice dried up midsentance as she looked at the sight in front of her. Kagome jumped up quickly, and spun around, but she wasn't fast enough.

"…Kageki?" At the sound of Sango's voice, Kagome stood frozen, ready to bolt.

"Ye…Yeah?" she stammered, her voice shaking. How had she allowed this to happen? How could she be this careless? Now she had put Souta in danger, and Sango, her first friend here, might hate her forever.

Suddenly Kagome found firm hands gripping her shoulders, and she was spun around before she knew what was happening. The tight undershirt that she was wearing hid nothing, and Sango stood looking at her with confused, but not hostile eyes.

"Who…who are you?

XxX 

**All right! Two chapters in one day! Can you believe it? That's a new record for me. Well, I hope you like the new chapter, although it's kind of a cliffhanger. Stay tuned for the next episode!**


	5. The Secret's Out

Wow, I am writing these chapter so much faster than on my last story. It's partly because I have a better grasp on the plot, but also because of you guys! I am getting so many more reviews than last time, and I love it! Someone reviewed that my plot reminds them of She's the Man, and I guess it is kind of similar, but it makes me sad when people say that my stories remind them of other books and stuff, because I try to make the plots as unique as I can. Well, anyway, thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: All together now! I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA!**

**XxX**

Chapter 5: The Secret's Out

"Kageki…" Sango's voice came out soft. "Who are you?" Kagome's mind raced, trying to find a way out of this. Her brain scrambled about senselessly for a moment before Sango's quiet but calm voice broke through her thoughts.

"Kageki, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." It was then that Kagome realized that she _did _want to tell Sango. She didn't want to keep this secret anymore. She wanted to be a girl again, even if only to one person. Kagome hesitated for half a second before grabbing hold of one of Sango's wrists and yanking her into her dorm room. Kagome closed the door and locked it firmly, then turned and faced Sango.

"All right. I am going to tell you, but you have to promise not to talk about this to _anyone_." Kagome looked at Sango pleadingly, and Sango nodded her head firmly.

"I can keep a secret."

"All right." Kagome took a deep breath. "Just about a month ago, my parents and my grandfather were…they were killed." Sango gasped, and Kagome continued. "I was the one who discovered their bodies. The murderer was still in the house, so I hid and called 9-1-1, but I wasn't fast enough. The murderer got away. Now the only family I have is my brother, and we have to hide out until the murderer is caught." Kagome left out how close she had come to being Naraku's toy, as well as the fact that she had been the reason her family was killed. She also didn't tell Sango about the dreams she had every night. "Now you're the only one who knows, Sango. And if you let this get out, I don't know what will happen."

Suddenly Kagome found herself being pulled into Sango's arms. For a second Kagome was startled, but then she relaxed. This was what she had been looking for, Kagome realized as tears leaked out her eyes. She had just been looking for someone to comfort her. Sango pulled back and sighed. "I wish you had told me sooner, but…I can see why you didn't. You've been through so much. I'm so sorry…" Sango paused. "Wait, what is your name anyway?" Kagome burst out laughing through her tears and Sango joined in.

"My name is Kagome…Kagome Higurashi." Sango beamed at Kagome.

"That's a beautiful name! Now, you should probably change, and…you know, wrap up." Kagome giggled, and nodded. She went into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and changed into the school uniform, binding her breasts before putting it on. She stepped back into the dorm room feeling like a load had been taken off her shoulders. Sango was waiting for her when she came back.

"Hey Kagome, I have to get going now, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me the day after tomorrow, maybe to the mall and spend some quality girl time together. It's the day of your first football game, so we'll have to go later. It will give you a chance to get out as a girl, and we can talk more about everything. Does that sound okay?" Kagome's face broke into a silly grin. How had she managed to get Sango as a friend?

Kagome nodded happily, and Sango pulled her into another hug. Just then, Kagome heard the scrape of a key in the lock, and she began to pull away from Sango, but it was too late. The door flew open, and InuYasha stepped into the room, his eyes immediately focusing on Kagome and Sango. Kagome stumbled away from Sango, but Sango kept her cool.

"So, see you tomorrow, Kageki?" Kagome nodded nervously, as Sango smiled then swept out the door past InuYasha. InuYasha closed the door behind Sango and turned around again.

"What was that Kageki? You're sure fast with the girls." InuYasha's tone seemed to be joking, but his eyes were glinting with rage.

"Look, InuYasha. I was just talking to Sango, and-"

"I just didn't think you were that kind of guy," InuYasha sneered, interrupting Kagome. "I guess you should be the one to tell Miroku, and break his heart." Kagome gaped. So Miroku did like Sango! Then she processed what InuYasha had just said.

"Look here InuYasha! Nothing, NOTHING was going on between us! I swear to you we are just friends. So why don't you just shut your mouth, so that I can EXPLAIN myself next time, okay?"

Kagome's cheeks were flushed and she stood glaring up at InuYasha, daring him to talk back to her. Much to her surprise, InuYasha simply blushed and looked away. Wait… Kagome did a double take. InuYasha just blushed!?!

"What…you're not going to talk back to me?" Kagome looked at InuYasha incredulously. "You're not going to call me names? You're not even going to say a comeback? Are you feeling all right? Do you have a feve-" By now Kagome was right up in InuYasha's face, and she had raised her hand and placed it gently on his forehead. Only then did InuYasha turn his head and look at Kagome, making her realize just how close she was to him. For a second, neither of them could seem to move, and suddenly Kagome felt very dizzy. The only thing she could focus on was his eyes staring into hers.

_He's going to kiss me_, Kagome thought sluggishly, just as InuYasha pulled back from her hand, as if it had burned him. Kagome shook her head like a dog shaking off water. What had she been thinking? InuYasha thought she was a guy, and it was going to stay that way! She couldn't go and mess things up now.

"Well, are you okay?" Kagome asked. InuYasha looked confused.

"I mean, do you have a fever?" Kagome asked again, clarifying her question. This time InuYasha understood.

"Oh, yeah…that must be it," InuYasha mumbled as though talking to himself. He flopped down in bed. "Yeah, a fever. I should get some rest…" Kagome watched him for a second, then turned and sat down in her own bed, pulling out some homework she had to do. By the next time she looked over, InuYasha was asleep.

XxX 

_Kagome was walking down a long hallway. The floors were a white tile that matched the whitewashed walls, and the fluorescent lights gave everything an unearthly look to it. The whole place smelled like some kind of cleaning fluid, and it made her sick to her stomach._

_Everything was blanketed by a heavy silence, so that Kagome couldn't even hear the sound of her own footsteps. She walked up to one of the doors and peered in through a small window. The room was the same empty white as the corridor, and had padded walls. Kagome moved on to the next room, and saw the same empty cell._

_Suddenly there came a loud creak splintering through the air, from behind Kagome. She turned slowly, afraid to look but knew she must, and saw a door far down the hallway slowly creaking open. When it had opened fully, and the door had stopped it's terrifying wailing, all was silent once again. Then Kagome heard rustling, and a dark shape loomed out of the doorway._

_Kagome felt a bolt of unspeakable horror shoot through her, and the hair on her neck stood on end. She began edging her way down the hallway, away from that thing, but it was already too late. The black shape moved from the doorway into the hall, and began advancing towards Kagome._

_Kagome broke into a run, sprinting down the hallway that did not seem to end. Doors flew past her on either side, but all were the padded white cells. Then, where there had been hallway stretching forward, suddenly a door appeared. Kagome raced towards it, and could see the outside through the rectangular windows. She launched herself at the doors, turned both doorknobs quickly…and found them locked._

_"No!" The cry of anguish was ripped from Kagome's throat, as she twisted the doorknobs senselessly._

_Somewhere from the back of her mind she became aware of heavy footsteps getting closer and closer, and then her grip on the doorknob was slippery. Kagome looked down to find her hands and front covered in blood, and then the footsteps stopped._

_Then she was seized from behind, and overwhelmed by the shadows. Kagome gave a single, last scream, as she was devoured by darkness._

**XxX**

InuYasha woke suddenly during the night. He lay with his eyes open, listening carefully. Something had woken him up although he wasn't sure what. He sat up and checked the other bed, but he could make out Kagome's sleeping form. Quickly, InuYasha turned back over, away from Kagome.

That kid…he was just too damn strange. InuYasha's mind started to drift back to earlier, but he forced himself back to the present. _It was just my fever acting up earlier, nothing more. Why else would I blush like that in front of a guy? Why else would the room suddenly start spinning when Kageki put his hand on my forehead? Maybe I am allergic to Kageki's cologne or something. Yeah…that must be it._

Just as he was about to fall asleep again, InuYasha was jerked from his thoughts as he heard Kagome tossing around in the bed across from him. InuYasha sat up again and turned on the small lamp by his bedside. He glanced over at Kagome's bed, and saw her grimacing, and shifting in her bed. InuYasha sighed. _He must be having another one of his nightmares again, _InuYasha decided. Then Kagome started to really move around. She held her hands out in front of her as if she were trying to ward away something, and her breathing was becoming short and choked. Suddenly, while Kagome was struggling, her head connected with the headboard of the bed with a loud crack. InuYasha jumped up, and dove over to her bedside, shaking her roughly by the shoulders to try to wake her up. This did nothing, and Kagome started to moan loudly as one of her arms hit the lamp and sent it tumbling. InuYasha growled and straddled Kagome's sleeping body, holding her arms on either side of her, as she struggled against him. Kagome's whole body seemed to go into convulsions. InuYasha was almost thrown back by the force of her efforts, but he held on tight and refused to let go. Then Kagome screamed. She screamed just once, right as she opened her eyes, but that scream cut through the air like a dagger, and was full of such fear, InuYasha let go, and tumbled to the ground. He looked up to find Kagome bolt upright, gasping for breath. She seemed to be coming out of a trance, and her whole body was wracked with shivers.

Kagome blinked away the tears that were streaming down her face as she looked down at InuYasha, who was sitting stunned on the floor..

"What…what was that?" asked InuYasha, confused and a little frightened.

Kagome's eyes were full of dread. "I…I don't know," she whispered truthfully. This went way beyond her usual nightmares. It had felt so horribly _real_. "I guess…I had a nightmare…" Kagome was surprised when InuYasha gave a short, harsh laugh.

"You can say that again! I thought you were going to kill yourself! What the hell kind of nightmare _was _that?"

Kagome immediately became withdrawn, and her face went tense. "I don't remember." InuYasha glared at her.

"Of course you do. Come one, tell me!"

"No."

InuYasha growled. _This kid is so damn annoying! Who does he think he is?_ "I'm going to find out sooner or later, Pipsqueak. So why don't you make this easier for both of us and tell me now?"

Kagome turned towards him, and he saw that her eyes were filled with tears. One broke free of her eye and trickled down her cheek.

"Eh? Hey, look…I didn't mean to make you-"

"InuYasha," Kagome cut him off. "Can we please just talk about this later?" InuYasha looked stunned. For just a split second he had the urge to wipe a tear off of Kagome's cheek.

"K-Keh! Whatever." InuYasha turned away from Kagome and crawled into his bead.

_Fine! I'll leave that kid to himself now, but later, I'll find out what that nightmare was all about._ InuYasha resolved, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

XxX 

**Sorry it took so long to get this chappie up, but now it is, and thank you for all of your wonderful reviews, as always. Remember, don't be afraid to review with criticisms, because I do want to get better at writing, and I could always use your help on what you think I need to improve! Thanks!**


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

Hey everyone! Hope ur all doing great. First of all, someone asked about InuYasha liking Kagome when he thinks she's a guy. I know that can be confusing, but I'm trying to get at is that InuYasha likes her, even though he doesn't know that she's a girl. And that he would be attracted to Kagome no matter what. Hmm, that is pretty confusing, but that's what I'm trying to get across. Also, someone reviewed and said that I was improving. I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! That review was so wonderful to receive! It's always nice to get reviews that say this is a great story, and keep it up, but what I'm really striving for is to become a better writer, so when someone writes me a review like that, it makes me so happy! So thank you!

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Inu.**

XxX 

Chapter 6: The Calm Before the Storm

"So, are you going to tell me now?"

"No."

"What about now?"

Kagome growled in frustration. InuYasha had been following her all day long trying to find out what she had been dreaming about. What was his problem anyway? Couldn't she just have a little time alone?

"How about…now?"

"ARGH! For the last time, will you just bug off, InuYasha? Leave me alone!" Kagome turned and screamed in his face.

"Not until you tell me what you were dreaming about last night," said InuYasha innocently. He had cut her some slack the evening before, but now he wasn't intending to give up easily. Kagome sighed.

"You're really not going to stop until I tell you, are you?" InuYasha shook his head happily, seeing that he had finally won.

"All right, I'll tell you." Kagome opened her mouth to spout out a lie about a monster or something stupid, but then found she could not. For some reason, she didn't want to lie to InuYasha any more than she had to. In fact, she wanted to tell him about her dream. And seeing as how it didn't hint at her being a woman, or anything else, Kagome made a split second decision to tell InuYasha the truth.

"I've been…I've been having nightmares for a long time. But last night was different." InuYasha watched her face carefully, and her could tell that she was telling him the truth. Kagome continued, "I was in a hospital…no, it was more like a psychiatric ward. But it was empty, and I was just wandering down the hallway. Then down the hall one of the doors opened, and somebody came out. I…I don't know who, but they were dark…and they wanted to hurt me. I started to run away from them, but then there was a door in the way, and I couldn't get out." Kagome's eyes began to glass over, and her breath started to come quicker just thinking about it. "I couldn't get out. My hands kept slipping on the doorknobs because they were covered…they were covered in blood. And the doors were locks. Then he got me, and the darkness was everywhere. I couldn't get out…I couldn't get out!" Kagome began to hyperventilate, and InuYasha took a step forward, scared.

"Hey, Kageki! Snap out of it, you're okay now." Kagome's eyes focused on InuYasha's face, and the muscles in her face relaxed slowly. She took a few deep breaths and calmed down.

"Sorry about that. It was just…so horrible."

"It's okay. Thanks for telling me. But at least it was only a nightmare, right?" InuYasha smiled at her, and Kagome grinned back weakly, although for some reason she wasn't particularly reassured.

"Yeah…it was only a nightmare," Kagome murmured.

XxX 

Sango sat in the courtyard during lunch trying to choke down the meatloaf from the cafeteria. She still couldn't believe that Kagome was a girl. All this time she had been fooling so many people. And the things she had been through…it was amazing really.

Sango was startled out of her thoughts by a hand placed on her shoulder. She snapped her head up to find Miroku grinning down at her.

"Oh…it's just you Miroku. How's it going?" Sango asked, trying to cover up her blush. Miroku rolled his eyes and sat down next to her.

"It would be going so much better, my love, if you finally agreed to go out with me." Sango's blush darkened.

"Yeah, whatever, you pervert." Miroku placed his hands over his heart and pretended to swoon.

"Ah! Sango, how can you say such things? You wound me, fair lady!"

"Hey, stop that, will you? Someone might hear you!" Miroku lowered his hands and his expression became serious.

"Actually, Sango, I've been meaning to talk to you about something." Now a light blush made its way onto Miroku's features, and he suddenly found his shoelaces very interesting. "I…er…I just wanted to know…do you like Kageki?" Miroku glanced up once, and then back to the ground. Sango stared at him.

"Well, sure I like Kageki. He's really nice, and a great friend, and-"

"That's not what I mean," Miroku blurted out. He finally brought his eyes up to meet hers, and Sango found herself unable to look away. Miroku continued, "Do you…Do you have a crush on him?"

Everything was silent for a split second. Then laughter erupted from Sango's mouth. "Me?" she gasped, "have a crush on Kageki?" She burst out laughing again, while Miroku just looked confused, then his face became angry.

"So you're just hanging around his place all the time because he's a good friend? You're just laughing at every one of his jokes because he's nice? Sorry for suggesting it, but it doesn't seem like you're 'just friends'."

Sango's expression softened. _Could it be…that he's jealous?_ She asked herself. "Look, Miroku. You have to trust me that there is _nothing_ going on between Kageki and me. He's…" Sango grinned again, "he's not my type."

Miroku's eyes widened. "You have a type?"

Sango grinned at him. At times like this, when he wasn't trying to grope her or hit on her, he was actually pretty cute. "Yeah…I have a type," Sango said softly, and leaned forward and kissed Miroku lightly on the lips. He sat there, completely stunned, as Sango grinned at him and skipped away, pausing at the door of the school to call back, "See you tomorrow, Miroku!" Then she disappeared inside.

He sat there for a few more minutes, staring at the spot where Sango had sat, and moved a hand slowly up to his mouth.

"She has a type…"

A grin broke out on Miroku's face as he jumped up onto the bench and raised his fists towards the sky.

"YES!!!"

XxX 

**Alright, not a very action-packed chapter, and I know it took quite a while, but the next chapter is the start of the whole climax. I think probably three more chapters until this is finished. Oh, and just to let you know, my life is getting REALLY hectic right now, what with the school musical performance only 2 weeks away, track and field starting, piano practice, my loads of homework, and skiing up at the local mountain, I have barely any time for myself. So please be patient with me, and I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I am able.**


	7. Realization

Okay. I have not posted in ages and ages…but of course you already knew that! I am SO SO SO sorry! I know that some authors go months without posting, but when I started writing, I promised myself that I would not be that kind of writier! And now look at me! I just want to give my heartfelt apology to all those waiting for this chapter to be posted, and to thank you all so much for being patient with me. Oh, and star2bcaught, Miroku wasn't really _surprised _that Sango had a type; he was just worried that she had someone (who wasn't him) in mind when she said that. And now, onto the story!

**Disclaimer: D-I-S-C-L-A-I-M-E-R. What is there not to get?**

XxX 

Chapter 7: Realization

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Kagome woke to the sound of the alarm clock blaring into her ear. She groaned and turned over, trying to block out the insistent noise. She was just getting comfortable when-

"KAGEKI! SHUT OFF THE DAMN ALARM CLOCK!"

InuYasha's voice cut though Kagome's pleasant state of half-asleep. She turned over again and rolled her eyes and glaring at InuYasha's form balled up underneath the covers in his bed. She growled and slammed off the alarm clock.

"You know," Kagome grumbled, "You could turn off the alarm clock yourself every once in a while. I don't know why I do it every single morning. Honestly," she ranted on as she slipped out of bed, "I don't know how you got up in the morning before you had me here." Kagome paused as she glanced over at InuYasha's bed. Her eyes narrowed as she realized that he had gone back to sleep and was now snoring soundly.

"I-nu-ya-shaaa!" Kagome bellowed, stalking over to his bed. When he refused to stir, she yanked off his covers swiftly, and pushed him onto the floor.

"What the-" InuYasha managed to say, before Kagome started poking at him with her foot.

"I! Thought! I! Told! You! To! Get! up!" Kagome said, punctuating each of her words with a jab to InuYasha's ribs.

InuYasha groaned and turned over, catching hold of Kagome's foot and staring up at Kagome. Kagome swallowed. His purple eyes seemed to hypnotize her, and she couldn't think strait. The room seemed to start spinning…and then Kagome realized that it actually was. InuYasha had flipped her over by pushing her foot back. Kagome landed on the ground heavily and winced. _What is wrong with me?_ She wondered. Usually she would have caught a throw like that and at least blocked her fall, but everything had just seemed so fuzzy…

InuYasha pushed himself up as he smirked at Kagome on the ground.

"Hey, chibi," InuYasha said his voice threatening, but his eyes teasing, "don't ever try to wake me up like that again."

Kagome watched him as he walked into the bathroom. She stuck her tongue out at his retreating back and grinned. "Not much of a morning person, is he?"

XxX 

Kagome went though her classes as usual, and chatted freely with her friends at lunch. Miroku seemed much happier today, and Kagome saw him exchanging glances with Sango. Something had finally happened it seemed. Kagome smiled. She had always known they would be good for each other.

At football practice, Kagome practiced hard. She tried to put the worry that she was feeling out of her head. For some reason- just a hunch really- she felt that something bad was going to happen. However, as much as she tried to put it out of her head, it was affecting her performance today. She got yelled at more than a few times, and left the field feeling frustrated and downhearted.

_I have to snap out of this!_ Kagome said to herself, shaking her head from side to side. _I need a distraction…_

Just then InuYasha came up from behind her. "Hey chibi, want to go get something to eat?" Kagome looked up in surprise.

"Um…" Kagome paused. Eat dinner? Alone with InuYasha? Then she mentally smacked herself. What was she thinking? This was dinner with two guys, not some kind of date, after all. Plus, it was just what she needed to distract her. "Sure," Kagome agreed. But as she followed InuYasha down the hall to change into her street clothes, she couldn't help but wonder why she felt so nervous.

XxX 

InuYasha ran a hand through his thick black hair as he sat in front of his closet. Kagome had gone into the bathroom to take a shower, so he was all alone. For the fiftieth time, InuYasha wondered why he had invited Kagome to go get something to eat.

_It was just because the poor kid looked so damn pathetic._ InuYasha reminded himself. _That's all._

Now his only problem was deciding what to wear. For some reason InuYasha couldn't decide on one outfit. Whatever he tried on looked too casual, or just plain stupid. The water in the bathroom shut off and InuYasha looked up. He needed to decide, and now. Growling, InuYasha reached in and grabbed some pants and a t-shirt at random, pulling them on and then running a brush quickly through his hair. There.

InuYasha flopped down on his bed and shut his eyes. He just needed to chill out. _What am I getting so worked up for?_

XxX 

Kagome trotted after InuYasha as he walked down the street, hands in his pockets. She couldn't help but notice how good he looked. He was wearing a black t-shirt over a pair of dark jeans, and it looked like he had actually brushed his hair for once in his life. Kagome looked down at herself. She was wearing a blue polo shirt and a pair of shorts.

_I wish I was wearing a dress, and that we were going to see some sappy movie instead… _Kagome sighed, and then widened her eyes as she realized what she had just thought. A blush flooded across her cheeks. _Where had that come from?! I don't even like InuYasha that way! He's a jerk, and a slob, and rude, and-_

Kagome's train of thought broke off as she ran strait into InuYasha's back. "We'll eat here," InuYasha said, grinning at her. "Oh, and try not to be too clumsy, chibi."

Kagome's stomach turned over. _All right, well maybe he's not _that _bad._ Kagome followed him into the ramen shop InuYasha had picked out. Kagome rolled her eyes. _Ramen. Of course. How romantic._

However, during the course of the evening, Kagome found herself enjoying it. There was a football game playing on the TV in the corner, and she and InuYasha commented on it, talking about all the bad plays, and what they could have done better. They talked about school, hobbies, and anything else that came into their heads. They disagreed on almost everything, but they both enjoyed arguing, so that wasn't a problem.

They had just started back towards the school when the conversation turned to families. InuYasha started talking about his. He was telling her about his father and his mother, when he noticed that Kagome hadn't said anything for a while.

"So, Kageki. What is your family like?" InuYasha asked. Kagome started, and looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Wha…What?" Kagome stammered.

"What is your family like? Do you get along with them? Do you miss them?"

Kagome's eyes began to fill with tears as raw wounds were reopened. She had been careful not to think about her family too much. Every time she remembered them, something inside her seemed to break, and Kagome was afraid that if she tried to remember to much, she would shatter into a million pieces, and wouldn't be able to be put together again.

"Um…I…" A tear dripped down Kagome's cheek, and she turned away from InuYasha, swiping at the tear so that he wouldn't see, but it was too late.

"Uh, hey! I didn't mean to make you upset. I mean, I understand. Everyone gets homesick." Kagome looked back at InuYasha, and he looked so alarmed that she was forced to laugh. For some reason, InuYasha always made her feel better, whether he was trying to or not. Before, if Kagome thought about her parents, she would have been depressed for days. But now, one look for InuYasha soothed the wounds.

They arrived back at the room, and they were both chatting again like normal. They changed into their pajamas (Kagome changed in the bathroom, as always), and went to bed.

"Hey, InuYasha." Kagome said to the dark room, just as she was going to sleep. Her voice was heavy and slurred.

"Yeah?" InuYasha replied, his voice just as tired as hers.

"Thanks." And then Kagome fell asleep.

XxX 

_Kagome was walking down the long white hallway again. She knew that she was dreaming. The whole thing had that slow, liquid feeling that dreams always do, but she couldn't seem to wake herself up. Kagome glanced around, fear already welling up in her chest as she looked for the dark shape._

_In this dream, Kagome didn't waste any time. She started jogging down the halls, not pausing to peer into the doors on either side of her. She knew what lay inside. Up ahead, Kagome saw nothing but corridor stretching on and on, fluorescent lights glowing dimly. Then Kagome heard it._

_A faint scrape came from behind her, far down the hallway. Kagome didn't turn to look, but only ran faster, knowing what came from behind. As Kagome's breath began to come ragged in her throat, she heard faint footsteps coming closer. They advanced slowly, then faster._

_Then, just as before, a wall loomed up out of nowhere, where miles of hallway had once stretched. Kagome looked to either side of her, then back at the door that stood in her way. She swallowed and pushed at the door. It was locked._

_Kagome pushed harder, and finally risked a glance behind her. The dark shape oozed forward, but this time Kagome could see that it held the shape of a man. She began to claw at the door, sobs reverberating off the cold, white walls, and tears streaming freely down her face. This was it. Kagome knew what was going to happen, but she couldn't help flinging herself at the door, time after time, hoping that the next time, it might have been unlocked._

_"Please…" Kagome pleaded to the empty hallway. "Please…"_

_And then Kagome could feel the dark shape behind her. It was closing in and cold began to seep into Kagome's bones. She could smell its evil, a rank, decaying smell crowned with the smell of roses. It smelled like a whole field of blood red roses, all dying and rotting away. Kagome screamed, and felt the blackness wind around her feet._

_"No! Please, help me. Don't…" Kagome gasped as the darkness slithered up her body, towards her head and throat. She screamed again, her voice piercing the empty whiteness. "INUYASHA!"_

_Kagome began to writhe as the darkness enveloped her whole body. She had never felt pain like this before. Her only hope was that soon, it might all end._

XxX 

A sharp pain on Kagome's cheek was what brought her to the surface. Her eyes snapped open as she gulped in lungfuls of precious air. She could just make out the figure of InuYasha above her. He was sitting on her waist, and had her hands pinned on either side of her head. Kagome's cheek throbbed slightly, and she realized that InuYasha must have slapped her to wake her up.

Kagome's face was drenched in tears, and her breath was still coming in short gasps, broken by small sobs. InuYasha climbed off her slowly when he realized that she was awake and sat down on the side of her bed.

"Was it…was it another dream?" he asked hesitantly. Kagome nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Then InuYasha did something completely unexpected. He pulled her up and into a hug. (A/N Just so you guys know, InuYasha is not making a move on Kagome. He thinks that she's a guy, remember? He's just trying to comfort her in whatever way he knows how. Nothing weird!) Kagome froze up, unable to move. InuYasha began to release her, afraid that he had done the wrong thing, when Kagome managed to choke out, "My family…my family is dead." Then she latched onto InuYasha and completely broke down.

This was what she had needed: someone who could comfort her and hold her until she stopped crying. This is what she had wanted all along.

Kagome cried until no more tears would come, and InuYasha set her gently down back onto her bed. Kagome closed her eyes immediately, completely exhausted. Her second to last coherent thought was, _I am in love with InuYasha._

The very last thought that crossed her mind before she drifted to sleep was, _Shit._


	8. Author's Note

Author's Note 

**Hello to all my dear and devoted reviewers! Thank you so much for your responses. As always, they inspire me to do better and better. However, I am very sorry to inform you that as of tomorrow (Saturday, the ninth of June) I will be departing for the beginning of my summer vacation travels! (I'M GOING TO GERMANY! YEAH!) But, while I am away, I will not have the option of writing new chapters, as I will not have access to Word. No, I do not have a laptop, sadly. So! I will be gone for about a month, and that means a month with no updates. I am really sorry, but I hope you will still stay with the story, and not stop reading it just because of the delay. I am not an author who enjoys drawing out stories in order to build suspense, so I just thought that I'd let you know what is going on. Thanks for reading! Check for an update in about a month.**


	9. Unraveled

Hey! I'm back, and Germany was amazing. I'm still trying to get used to these keyboards, though (the ones in Germany were different. I had access to computers, but not to Word) so don't get mad at me if I make a few mistakes. Sorry for keeping you waiting and thanks for all the great reviews!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I did not get Inuyasha for my birthday.

**XxX**

Chapter 9: Unraveled

InuYasha lay in bed with his eyes wide open. It was pitch black outside, with a sliver of the moon hanging in the sky and all was quiet, but every single time that InuYasha began to drift into sleep Kagome would stir or shift and InuYasha would be wide awake again, fearing another panic attack. Luckily, one never came, but Kagome slept restlessly that night, tossing and turning as if the remnants of the nightmare wouldn't fully loosen their hold on her. InuYasha watched the sky go from black to dark blue to light blue as the moon sank and the sun rose. When the alarm clock began to beep, InuYasha quickly turned over and pretended to be asleep.

Kagome grumbled as usual as she shut of the alarm clock and got out of bed, as if nothing had happened. InuYasha stretched as if just waking up and turned his violet eyes to Kagome. She was rummaging through her closet and pulling out her uniform for the day. As she set the uniform down on the bed, Kagome noticed InuYasha staring at her. She shifted nervously but put on an innocent face. "Yes?" Kagome asked.

InuYasha narrowed his eyes. "So, what was that last night," he asked. Kagome sighed and turned back around. She had known that he was going to ask her about what had happened last night, but she really didn't want to talk about it. Kagome shrugged with her back still turned towards InuYasha.

"I already told you about the nightmare before. It was that same dream, nothing more." Kagome's breath caught in her throat as she fought to keep her voice even. She didn't want InuYasha to know how scared she was. Maybe if she pretended like it wasn't a big deal, then she might also convince herself.

InuYasha swung out of his bed and walked over to his own closet. "This one seemed worse than the last one. Maybe you should get these dreams checked out. You might hurt yourself." InuYasha didn't add how he had stayed up the entire night to make sure that Kagome didn't do just that, or how afraid he was that when the next episode came, he might not wake up while Kagome thrashed in her bed.

"Somehow," Kagome remarked dryly, "I don't think that getting them 'checked out' is going to help much." A laugh bubbled from Kagome's mouth before she could stifle it, and it was high and hysterical.

InuYasha turned around to look at Kagome. She was the picture of nonchalance, except that her eyes were full of terror. Underneath the full force of InuYasha's stare, Kagome broke down. She sank onto the bed and let the nightmare wash over her. The sights, the smells, the feel of that darkness crawling up her body like some horrible snake.

"I just…I just don't think it was only a nightmare," Kagome murmured. "The white hallways, the padded cells, they all looked so real. And I could _smell_ the antiseptic. I could _smell the blood._ And that darkness. How could I imagine something like that? I can't… I don't…" Kagome trailed off. Her hands twisted together and her knuckles were white. "I just…I feel like something bad is coming."

InuYasha didn't know what to say. "It's…it's just a dream, Kageki. It's going to be okay.

Kagome started at the sound of her fake name, and she remembered where she was and to whom she was talking to. She looked up at InuYasha and she felt calmer. In that moment, Kagome didn't want to lie to InuYasha anymore. She wanted to tell him everything: who she was, what had happened, all her fears and hopes. She wanted InuYasha to know it all.

"InuYasha…" Kagome's voice was tentative. "I have something to tell you InuYasha looked at her expectantly and she took a deep breath, ready to blurt out everything…when the phone rang.

Its shrill ringing cut though the tense silence and Kagome and InuYasha stared at each other for a few seconds before InuYasha reached over and plucked up the phone.

"Yeah?" he growled. He listened for a second and a queer look passed over his face as he held out the phone to Kagome. "It's your girlfriend."

Kagome was confused until she recalled the cover story she had given Keade. A blush blossomed across her face as she waked quickly over to the bathroom.

"Keade?" Kagome breathed. This could be it. They had finally caught the killer and Kagome could be free with Souta and she could tell everyone everything and live a normal life. For a moment, Kagome dared to hope. But then Keade's voice crackled through the phone and it was hard and quick.

"Kagome. I have something important to tell you. Naraku is in the city." Kagome's stomach turned over, but before she could say anything Keade continued. "A person sighted him on the subway and phoned in, but he was too quick. He got away again. Kagome, you must try to keep as hidden as possible. If he finds out you're there… You haven't told anyone your identity, have you?"

A picture of Sango flashed though Kagome's mind but she shrugged it off. She knew that Sango would never betray her and she didn't regret telling her for even a second.

"No," said Kagome firmly.

"Good," said Keade. "Now, you must not go anywhere unless it is absolutely necessary, and try and keep in crowded areas. You must stay hidden. You must stay safe."

"Okay," said Kagome. She could deal with that, for Souta.

Keade's voice became tainted with fear. "Kagome, you must be more careful than ever. If Naraku caught you…be careful, Kagome. Be brave." The connection broke and Kagome was left holding the phone in her hands. She felt strangely empty. Somehow, she had known all along that this was coming. Ever since Naraku's eyes had bored into hers, his fingers dancing nervously and playing with the trigger on his gun. She had known then.

Kagome stood up, still numb. The fear would come later, she knew. It would come like a cloud hanging over the sun. But for now there was no cloud or sun, and she felt nothing. Kagome walked out into the room where InuYasha was waiting. She hung up the phone and went over to her bed and grabbed the uniform that lay there.

"So, what were you going to tell me?" InuYasha asked, his voice gruff.

"Oh?" Kagome looked up. "Ah, yes. I just wanted to wish you luck at the football game today." She managed a grin somehow. "First game of the year!"

Kagome walked woodenly to the bathroom to shower and change. She couldn't tell InuYasha the truth now. It would put Souta at risk. Until this was all over, she had to be more careful than ever.

XxX 

"Hut! Hut! HIKE!"

Kagome sprinted down the field, dodging the offending players. It was her first real game today, and it felt so different from practice. They were playing people who she didn't know at all, which made it harder to predict their movements, but all in all, it wasn't much of a challenge. With InuYasha, Miroku, Kouga, and Kagome, as well as the rest of the players, their team was excellent. Coach said that they had a good chance of going to state.

As Kagome zigzagged down the field, she glanced back and saw Kouga only a little ways behind her and InuYasha letting a ball fly down the field. Kagome watched it spiral though the air, and reached up at the exact moment to pull it into her waiting arms. Two players were coming at her from either side, so Kagome snapped it quickly to Kouga, right before she was bowled over. Kouga ran the rest of the yards to make another touchdown. Everyone cheered and gathered around Kouga just as the whistle blew for half time. Kagome ran over to the bench grinning like mad. In spite of everything that had happened, and the feeling like something bad was going to happen, she felt like nothing could hurt her out on the football field. Kagome was grabbing her water bottle when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hey! Kageki, good job!" Kagome turned to find Sango behind her.

"Thanks, Sango." Kagome smiled. Sango smiled back at her.

"I just wanted to congratulate you, and to remind you that we were going to go to the mall today, remember?" Kagome's eyes widened. She had totally forgotten. Sango kept talking. "Let's meet after the game in front of the school, okay?" Sango glanced around and her eyes found Miroku. "Well, good luck, Kagome! Show 'em what you can do." And then Sango was gone over to Miroku before Kagome could get in a single word.

Suddenly Kagome realized that she really shouldn't be going to the mall. With Naraku on the prowl in the city, she should be staying close to the school. Kagome looked around for Sango, but she had already gone back to the stands. Well, she would just tell her after the game.

After a short pep talk from the coach and a bit of a rest, Kagome was put back in the game. They were pretty far ahead, and it didn't look like the other team was about to make a comeback, so they didn't have to play too hard. Kagome's team scored another touchdown, and near the end of the game the other team was close to a touch down of their own, when one of the opponent teammates threw a wild pass. Kagome grinned as the pass sailed towards her. She sprinted forwards and plucked it out of the air. The fans went wild on the stands, and Kagome began to streak down the field as fast as she could. She had only run a few yards, however, when another player hit her from the side just as the whistle blew for the end of the game.

Kagome fell to the ground with the other man on top of her, and she heard something crack. The other player had landed on her stomach and suddenly she couldn't breath any more. The wind had gotten knocked out of her, and not air would come in. Kagome wheezed and then suddenly took a huge gulp of air. The player had climbed off of her and was shouting something to the other players but Kagome couldn't hear him. A dull ringing was sounding in her ears. The other players crowded around, and the coach jogged over from the benches. He felt her ribs, and Kagome cried out in pain. The coach nodded grimly.

"One or two are cracked. You'll heal in a few weeks, but you won't be able to play for today." Kagome nodded, and tried to get up but pain seared though her ribs. InuYasha stepped forward and lifted her up easily. The coach led them into the changing rooms, and other players followed. Kagome was in a haze of pain, or else she would have noticed them taking off her padding. Only when they began cutting off her shirt did Kagome realize what was happening, but then it was too late. The shirt fell off and only Kagome's bandages were covering her upper half.

"What is…" the coach started to reach for the bandages but then stopped as he first looked from Kagome's chest to her face and then at the boys surrounding her. Kagome pulled the shirt back around her body, and the coach stood up quickly.

"All right, boys. Everybody out. There's nothing to see." Some of them hadn't understood, and were looking confused. But Kagome looked up at Kouga and Miroku and then at InuYasha. Kouga and Miroku looked thunderstruck. InuYasha looked furious. They all walked from the room.

Kagome was left alone with the coach. She winced as she sat up, and she leaned against the lockers. The coach looked at her.

"So, are you going to tell me what is going on?" And then Kagome told him. She told him only what she had told Sango, not about the dreams or about Naraku being after her or about Souta, but it was enough. When Kagome finished, the coach rubbed his head.

"I'll have to talk about this with the school administrators. I…I don't think you'll be allowed to play football anymore, but…" the coach looked at Kagome and shrugged apologetically.

Kagome smiled. "That's okay. I'm sure with what happened today, I'll be going to a different school now. Thank you, though, for letting me play." Kagome left the locker room and walked up to her dorm room. She felt people's stares on her as she walked. The whole school probably knew what had happened now. Kagome walked into her room to find InuYasha on the bed, his face still fuming. Kagome shut the door.

"InuYasha…" But InuYasha turned around.

"I don't want to talk to you. Get out." Kagome stood her ground.

"Look, you don't even-"

"Get. Out." InuYasha's voice was cold and hard as steel.

"InuYasha I-" Kagome felt a tear drip down her cheek. InuYasha spun around, his face positively livid with rage.

"What was this to you, Kageki? Just _a game_? Were you just playing with all of us? I don't think…I don't think I can even look you in the face anymore. This whole time…how could you not tell me? How could you let me go on thinking…" InuYasha's voice broke off and he stood up suddenly in one fluid motion. He stalked over to Kagome and grabbed her arm, twisting it violently as he opened the door and threw her out. Kagome stumbled into the hallway, turning back to see the door close in her face.

Kagome walked to Sango's doorway, and broke down as she waited for someone to answer the door. Sango opened the door, and Kagome fell into her arms. She cried for a few minutes before getting a hold of herself. Sango said nothing. She had heard what happened in the locker room.

Finally Kagome stopped crying and pulled back from Sango. "Let's go to the mall, Sango. I have to get out of here." Kagome sniffled, but didn't cry. With what had happened here today, it was probably safer at the mall anyway. Sango nodded once and stood up. Kagome looked down at herself. She was still in her football uniform, but the coach had given her a new shirt before she left.

"I…I might need something to wear."

Sango chewed her lip. "I only have girl clothes."

Kagome nodded. That was okay. It would feel good to wear girl clothes again. Kagome jumped into the shower as Sango found some clothes that might fit her. They set out with Kagome wearing a pair of blue jeans and a red tank top. Her hair was clipped back with two barrettes. Kagome grinned at herself in the mirror. After such a long time, she finally felt a little like herself again.

XxX 

"Hey, look at these! They're so cute!" Kagome called Sango over to look at a pair of earrings. It felt great to finally act like a girl again, and to not have to worry about every single thing she said.

"Wow, those are gorgeous," Sango agreed. "What do you think of this top? I'm going to go try it on." Kagome smiled and walked over to the skirt section. She was looking at an especially cute gray one when she heard it.

"Hello, Kagome." The voice slithered down her spine like an ice cube. Kagome froze.

"That's it. Be a good girl and don't move now. Don't say a word, and come with me." Then Kagome came back to her senses. She spun around. Naraku stood in front of her. His limp black hair hung over his face, half obscuring his eyes that shone like black ice. His smile was nervous and gruesome and hungry, and his fingers twitched, playing with something in his hands. It was a tape player. Kagome began to back up. He couldn't hurt her here, in this crowded mall. She wouldn't go with him.

"Now now now, don't be hasty Kagome. I've got something that you might want to hear." Naraku pushed the play button on the tape player and thrust it towards Kagome. Souta's voice crackled though.

"Kagome? Kagome, where are you?" His voice was high pitched and frightened, but Naraku clicked off the tape player, looking around to make sure that they hadn't caught anyone's attention. Kagome stood frozen. _He has Souta. He has Souta._ The phrase repeated like a mantra over and over in her head.

"That's right," Naraku hissed, a look of triumph coming over his face. Now, go buy that skirt, so as not to look suspicious. Go now." Kagome walked jerkily over to the cash register, her mind going a mile a minute. Sango was still in the changing room. There was no one to help her. The lady at the cash register rang up the item, and then Kagome had an idea. She pulled out her credit card and handed it to the woman. The woman swiped it and then gave Kagome the receipt to sign. Kagome signed it quickly and then turned it over and wrote a quick note. The woman took back one of the receipts, Kagome made sure it wasn't the one with the note, and then gave Kagome the skirt. Kagome thanked the woman, and walked over towards Naraku. Naraku grabbed her by the arm and walked her towards the exit. Kagome dropped the note on her way out. It was a long shot that Sango would find it, but right now it was her only hope.


	10. Entering the Nightmare

Hello everybody. It's getting close to the end now, and I hope you are enjoying the story. Thanks for all the great reviews!

Disclaimer: Do you need me to spell it out for you!?! I D-O N-O-T O-W-N I-N-U…Whatever, you get the picture.

**XxX**

Chapter 10: Entering the Nightmare

InuYasha was in his room throwing a bouncy ball at the wall. He would toss it and then catch it as it came back to him. Again and again and again. Every time, the bouncy ball hit the same exact spot with a thunk.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

_How could Kageki have been a girl that entire time?_

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

InuYasha's face was contorted with rage but his hand was steady as it nimbly caught the ball and lobbed it back at the wall. _How could he…she not have told me? Damn it. I thought that we…I thought…_

Thunk. Thunk. Thu-

The ball spun out of InuYasha's fingers and onto the ground. He growled, snatched it up, and resumed throwing the ball at the wall. He thought back on all the times with Kageki…or whatever her name was. _It was all fake. It wasn't real. How could he…she…_ Just then, all hell broke loose.

"INUYASHA!"

Sango's voice ripped through the air and InuYasha looked up. The ball came back from the wall and hit him in the head. InuYasha rubbed his head, annoyed.

"What do you want?" He snapped.

"Let me in! InuYasha, hurry!" InuYasha stayed where he was, and began throwing the ball again.

"No."

"OPEN THIS DOOR OR I WILL KICK IT DOWN."

"Leave me alone." He was most definitely not going to open the door. Not for a stampede of raging elephants. Not for a herd of wild horses. Not for…and then InuYasha heard it. A sniffling sound from the other side of the door. _Is Sango…is she…no, that's impossible._ In all the years that InuYasha had known her, Sango had never cried. Not when she broke her leg last year. Not when her she didn't make the soccer team as a freshman. Not when her favorite dog had died only a few years past. And now…

InuYasha was at the door in a second, throwing it open to reveal a very scared and very tearful looking Sango. Her clothes were disheveled, as if she had run here as fast as she could and she was gasping for breath. At that moment, Sango looked small and vulnerable, as if she didn't know that to do. She practically fell into the room and made a beeline for InuYasha's bed.

"What is it? What's wrong?" InuYasha waited tensely.

Sango looked at him, clutching something to her chest. After a moment, she opened her hands to reveal a small piece of paper, what looked like a sales receipt. Sango looked at the note and then back at InuYasha.

"It's Kagome."

"Who?" InuYasha asked, hope against all hope that it wasn't who he though it was.

A sob escaped Sango's lips. "Its Kageki! She's…she's…" InuYasha's eyes widened. He reached over and grabbed Sango by the shoulders.

"She's not dead, is she? Please, say she's not dead." Sango shook her head, and InuYasha nearly collapsed in relief.

"Then what…" Tears welled up in Sango's eyes as she handed him the receipt. Something was written on it, but it was hard to read. The person who wrote it must have been in a huge hurry. Even though it was messy, InuYasha recognized Kagome's handwriting right away.

_Naraku has Souta. I must go with him. Get InuYasha._

InuYasha looked at the note with blank eyes. "I don't understand," he said, "What am I supposed to do? Who is Naraku? Who is Souta?" InuYasha looked at Sango with confused eyes. Sango looked back, startled.

"You mean she never told you?"

InuYasha shook his head, beginning to grow angry. _Is this some other ploy of hers?_

But all resentment that InuYasha harbored died as Sango began her explanation. Sango told him everything that she knew, and when she was done she was nearly in tears again. InuYasha was stunned.

_How could I…after all she's been through I just threw her out. _His mind went back to the note and processed what it meant. _And now…oh gods._ InuYasha sprang from the bed. Sango started and looked up.

"Sango," InuYasha's voice was determined and commanding. Sango immediately stopped crying. "Call the police. Now." Sango jumped up and reached for the telephone, but something hit InuYasha. "WAIT!" Sango froze where she was. InuYasha's mind raced. _What if…what if…_

InuYasha grabbed the phone book. "Help me!" he yelled to Sango. "Look up all the psychiatric wards in the area. It should be old, maybe closed down. I think I might know where Kagome is but until we know for sure, we can't call the police."

Sango sat down and they began flipping through the phone book.

**XxX**

Kagome stumbled a little as Naraku dragged her out of the mall. She glanced back to see if she could spot Sango or anyone she knew but all that was behind her was a sea of unknown faces. Naraku yanked her forward and began walking swiftly as if he knew exactly where he was going. His grip on her arm made her flesh crawl, but Kagome had to go, she had to do this for Souta.

Kagome didn't know how long she walked. Everything around her seemed a blur and unreal. They took many twists and turns and Kagome tried to keep track, she really did, but nothing seemed to matter anymore. She had failed. Naraku had found the only family member she had left, even though Kagome had done everything she could to save him. And now…

_Mother, Father, Grandfather. I tried…I tried but it was not enough. I'm so sorry. _

And then they were there. Naraku stopped so suddenly that Kagome almost crashed into him, jerking her out of her stupor. She looked up and recoiled violently. She fell to the ground and began whimpering. Naraku grinned down at her, a terrible expression that was somewhere between a smile and a grimace. They were in front of the building from Kagome's dreams. They hadn't gone inside yet, but Kagome knew it. She could feel the cold whitewashed walls calling to her.

"That's right," tittered Naraku, "be afraid. It's best when they're afraid." He yanked Kagome off the ground and shoved her before him through the doors that looked like the mouth of a great beast that smelled of antiseptic. Kagome walked though the doors and into the place of her nightmares.

XxX 

**Okay, I know it was really really really short, but it's all I could manage right now, and I wanted to get you an update as soon as I could. So here is this, and I'll try to update again ASAP! So sorry!**


	11. Search and Rescue

**Thanks for the reviews! Oh, and someone asked if Kagome should really be moving around and going to the mall with cracked ribs. Well, actually now that I think about it, you are totally right. Cracked ribs are extremely painful, and any person who has cracked ribs would have to sit in their bed for a long time before they get to go out. I probably should have just made them bruised, but oh well!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own InuYasha, blah blah blah.**

**XxX**

Chapter 11: Search and Rescue

Kagome was inside one of the padded cells tied down to a table when Naraku came back in. He had left only after making sure that Kagome was securely tied, but she hadn't even tried to get out of the bonds. After all, Souta's life was in her hands.

"Ah, Kagome. Thanks for waiting." Naraku giggled madly at his own joke. Kagome didn't laugh. Naraku set a briefcase down on the table with a muffled thump as he began pulling out various objects. Kagome felt her fear mounting as she watched Naraku pluck out a screwdriver first, then a hammer, and then a knife. A muffled moan escaped her lips.

Naraku glanced up from the briefcase with cold amusement in his eyes. "No need to worry, my dear Kagome," he murmured soothingly, although it did nothing to quench Kagome's terror. "You see, unlike many of these 'serial killers', as they have labeled me, I do not like to mar my beloveds…at least, not until later." Naraku added as an afterthought. "Well, I suppose I should specify that as physical marring." He grinned evilly. "I never could resist a little fear."

And then Naraku began. For a while he contented himself with a few small cuts, and he watched with sick fascination as tears welled up in Kagome's eyes again and again. But soon he became impatient.

"I know what happened at school," he whispered in Kagome's ear, so close she could smell a stench like rotting roses, the smell from her dream. Naraku lazily slid the cool blade along her cheek, bright red blood smearing onto Kagome's cream white cheek.

"It must have been so hard for you," Naraku hissed. "Now, all your friends will hate you. You _deceived_ them." Kagome's heart gave a lurch as she remembered the look on InuYasha's face, but she kept silent.

"No one loves you anymore, Kagome. No one but me." Kagome grimaced as Naraku made a shallow cut on her foot.

"You are all alone, and no one is coming to save you. They all hate you now, Kagome. They _hate_ you." Naraku made a small cut on her thumb and then bent down to give it a kiss as blood welled up. He grinned at her. "You have no more friends."

"You're wrong." Kagome's voice took Naraku by surprise. She had kept silent this whole time, but now she spoke, and her voice was strong and determined, though some fear crept in too.

"Sango accepted me. Souta still loves me and he always will. Keade cares about me. And I know the others are still my true friends, even though I did deceive them."

Naraku hissed, "You know nothing, Kagome."

"They still love me!" Kagome's voice became higher and more panicked. Naraku smirked.

"Then why aren't they here to save you?" He ran the knife up and down Kagome's arm. It didn't cut her, but it was terrifying all the same.

"Don't you see, Kagome? No one is coming for you. After what you did, no one cares about you. Keade will forget you as just another failed case. Sango will move on to other friends, who aren't so troublesome. Even Souta will forget. He is so young. He will keep on living his life. Listen now. No sirens are coming. No one running down the hallway to help. Oh Kagome, sweet Kagome," Narkau's voice purred. "Don't you see, I'm the only one who cares."

And then Naraku slashed the knife down her right leg. The pain was instantaneous, and finally Kagome screamed. She didn't scream only because of the gash on her leg however, but also because of what Naraku had said. He had brought into the light her worst fears, and it hurt almost worse than the physical pain. But then Kagome remembered. _Souta. I have to do this for Souta._

Naraku's face was triumphant as he listened to her scream echo off the walls. "Ah, yes," he murmured. "There is the fear. Yesss." He grinned. "And now, Kagome, the real fun begins. The rest of my…ah…equipment, shall we say, is in the other room. I'll be right back." Naraku turned to leave but stopped when he heard Kagome talk.

"Please," Kagome's voice was weak now." Please. Can I just see Souta? One last time before I die? Please…" Kagome felt utterly defeated. She knew now. No one was coming, and no one could help. All that she could hope for was one last look at the brother she was giving up her life for.

Naraku turned around and smiled. Something in that smile warned Kagome that she was not going to like his answer. It was like the smile of someone handing you a drink that they put salt in.

"Why, Kagome," Naraku purred, that smile still on his face. "Whatever made you think I had Souta? I never said anything like that. Why, all I did was took this tape from your dorm room labeled 'hide and seek'."

Kagome was frozen. She remembered that tape. When Souta was little, he used to carry around a tape player everywhere and recorded everything he did, because he loved to hear the sound of his voice. They had been playing hide and seek, and Souta was walking around with his tape player, calling out "Kagome, where are you?"

Naraku's smile widened as he watched the emotions play over Kagome's face. "Now, I'll leave you hear to contemplate the fact that you are going to die for naught. But thank you for coming with me so willingly."

As the door swung shut, anger bubbled through Kagome's veins. If Naraku had thought that this news of Souta would make her an easier victim, he was dead wrong. Kagome shifted so her right hand that was tied to the table was next to her pocket in her jeans. She reached in and drew out her keys carefully, knowing that if she dropped them, her last chance of survival would go with them. She quickly began sawing at the ropes binding her with the keys. After a minute of frantic sawing, she was free and started on the other hand.

Five minutes later, Kagome was completely free. She shoved the keys into her pocket and started towards the door. Then, as if an afterthought, Kagome turned back, grabbed the knife, and then walked out the door.

Kagome limped as fast as she could. She could still feel blood trickling from the deep wound in her leg, and ever step was like the knife was being driven in anew, but Kagome kept going. She knew that she didn't have much time.

Sure enough, just as she reached the end of the hallway, Kagome heard a door creak open. She tried to run, but her leg buckled under her, and she sprawled on the floor. Kagome glanced back to see Naraku staring at her with rage contorting his features.

"_No_," he hissed, and then he began to run. Kagome scrambled up and began to sprint as well, the wound in her leg no more than a dull throbbing with adrenaline rushing in her veins. She knew now, it was either life or death. If Naraku caught her, it would not be the shallow cuts like before. It would be excruciatingly painful and uncontrolled.

Kagome could hear Naraku gaining on her. He was older, and did not have any injuries. He would be on her soon. Kagome turned a corner and saw her salvation. A fire escape. She bolted towards it and threw herself at the doors just as Naraku rounded the corner. It was locked.

Kagome rebounded off the door and was thrown to the floor. "No," she whimpered, "No, please no, no, no."

Naraku had stopped up the hallway. He had her cornered and he knew it. He was not smiling now. "Sweet Kagome," he called. "Why would you run away? That makes me very angry." Naraku began advancing slowly on the door. Kagome clawed wildly at the fire escape, her hands slippery with blood, but it remained locked. She took at firm hold on the knife. It was her only chance.

When Naraku reached Kagome she lunged at him, aiming for his heart. The knife flashed through the air, and Kagome thought she had him. She really did. But then Naraku dodged to the side and knocked the knife out of her hands. It went skittering across the floor, and Naraku scooped it up. Kagome whimpered.

Naraku looked at the knife and then back at Kagome. He advanced on her and then smiled down at her for an instant, his eyes wild and cool at the same time, before smacking her across the face. Kagome reeled. She could taste blood in her mouth, a coppery metallic taste. Her whole face throbbed where Naraku had hit her. She looked up at Naraku defiantly, knowing that nothing could save her now.

Naraku snarled. "Don't look at me like that! I can kill you, little girl!" Naraku hit her again, this time on the other cheek. Kagome crumpled to the floor and almost fainted with the pain.

Naraku paced in front of her. "Get up," he hissed. "Get up! I'm not finished with you yet." He aimed his next kick well, right at her ribs. Kagome tried to squirm out of the way in time, but she was too late.

Pain exploded where Kagome had cracked two ribs, and a scream was ripped from her throat, although she had promised herself not to scream anymore. Naraku stopped and smirked.

"Oh, did that hurt?" He kicked her there again, more viciously this time. Kagome's scream echoed down the white hallways. She had never known such pain before. _Make it all stop_, Kagome wailed in her head, _Please, just make it all stop!_

Naraku had pulled his foot back to give her another kick when the fire escape door smashed open. Light flooded into the hallway as well as the sound of sirens. A face peered down at Kagome and then contorted with fury.

"What did you DO TO HER?!" The person roared, and then the face disappeared from view. Kagome tried to make out what was going on, but she was in too much pain and the world was going dark around her. She heard yells, and a struggle going on. Then there was a dull thud, and the noises stopped.

Then she felt herself being lifted up. Kagome winced in pain, even though the hands were gentle. Someone was stroking her hair and her face, and then carrying her outside and down the fire escape and murmuring in her ear. Kagome knew that voice.

"Inu…Yasha?" She muttered, just before she blacked out.


	12. Safe

All right! Here is what you have been waiting for…the last chapter! Woohoo! Thank you so much for reading my story, and being so supportive of me. You guys helped me keep on going!

**Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha, I think someone would have told me by now.**

**XxX**

Chapter 12: Safe

The first thing that Kagome registered as she drifted back to consciousness was the smell of antiseptic. As soon as that smell registered in her brain she bolted upright, afraid that after all that had happened, the person who had rescued her had left her to Naraku after all. Strong arms encircled Kagome before she could register what was happening and she began to struggle at their tight grip. Pain exploded in Kagome's ribs and head as she tried to scramble away.

"Kagome! Kagome, calm down. Shh, it's okay. It's going to be all right." A soothing voice murmured in Kagome's ear and slowly she stopped struggling. She finally looked around the room and realized that she was no longer in the psychiatric hospital. Instead she was in a regular hospital. Bandages were wrapped around her ribs and the various cuts on her body. Kagome reached up to her face and winced as she realized it was badly bruised. When Kagome stopped struggling, the arms left and Kagome turned around to find InuYasha behind her.

They stared at each other for a few minutes across the room. Neither moved until Kagome burst into tears. She was surprised at herself. She had thought that she didn't have any tears left, but here she was blubbering like a baby once again. Everything that had happened came flooding back to her. In a second, InuYasha was there and put his arms around her once more to pulled her into an embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Kagome clung to InuYasha like she never wanted to let go and sobbed her heart out. InuYasha held her until she began to calm down, and then he pulled back and looked Kagome in the eyes.

"Kagek…I mean, Kagome," Kagome's eyes widened. Sango must have told him her name. "I'm so sorry."

Once Kagome had processed what he said, she was confused. "Why are you apologizing? You just saved my life!"

"But before you left, I said such horrible stuff. I'm so sorry." InuYasha sat there like a wounded puppy with his tail tucked between his legs. He looked so remorseful that Kagome did something that she thought she might never do again. She laughed.

At first it was just a giggle, but then it bubbled into chortle, and then a full out laugh burst from her lips. Kagome bent over holding her stomach, she was laughing so hard. InuYasha looked confused, but soon enough a smile crept onto his face and then he and Kagome were laughing together like nothing had ever happened.

Kagome winced as her ribs protested against the laugh, but was still giggling when she said, "InuYasha, are you seriously apologizing when you just saved me from Naraku?" Her face grew somber all of a sudden. "Do you realize what he could have done to me…what he _would_ have done to me if you hadn't shown up?" InuYasha had stopped smiling now too.

"Yes," he replied. "And I'm just sorry that I didn't get there sooner. Look at what he did to you Kagome." InuYasha's hand brushed Kagome's cheek again, but this time it stayed there. He ran his fingers across her bruised cheek and then down across her lips. Kagome blinked, staring at him as if mesmerized and knew that she would not be able to pull away even if she wanted to. Then InuYasha leaned in slowly and brushed Kagome's lips with his. He kissed her gently, aware of her bruises and cuts, and then pulled back and looked at Kagome.

Her face was mottled with ugly bruises that were turning all shades of the rainbow, but she had her eyes closed and had a blissful smile on her face that made her more beautiful than anyone InuYasha had ever seen.

"Kagome," he whispered, and her blue-green eyes opened. "When Sango told me what had happened, I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside. I didn't know what I would do if…if you hadn't…" InuYasha trailed off, but then started again. "It was then that I realized that…I love you Kagome Higurashi. And I never want you to hide something like this from me ever again."

Kagome was stunned. This was what she had always pictured him saying, what she had dreamed of ever since she realized that she was falling for InuYasha. And now he was all hers. He _loved_ her. Kagome grinned, ignoring the pain that it caused her bruised face. "I love you too, InuYasha."

And with that, Kagome threw her arms around InuYasha and planted a huge kiss on his lips. In the middle of the exceptionally romantic moment, neither noticed the door quietly open until a high voice whined, "Oh, _gross_!" They broke apart to find Souta standing in the door with a smirk on his face with Miroku, Sango, Keade, and Kouga standing behind him. At least Keade had the grace to look embarrassed, while the others grinned and elbowed eachother. Kagome and InuYasha blushed.

"Erm, they told us that you were awake, Kagome," she said nervously. "But if you would like some privacy…" Kagome's laugh stopped Keade.

"Keade, of course you can come in!" Everyone poured into Kagome's room, and they sat laughing and talking until one of the nurses finally came to shoo them out hours later. Kagome leaned back on her pillow as she watched them all file out the door. She would never be able to have her true family back, she knew, and she would never forget them. But now Kagome had her friends to help her through the hard times, and she wasn't alone anymore.


End file.
